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Returning Officers' Report of Proceedings – 42nd General Election, 2015

Section 2: Statutory Requirement to Report on Proceedings (s. 314 of the CEA)

Note that even though this section was mandatory, some ROs did not answer all the questions. A follow-up will be conducted with these ROs.

  1. Did you return all election documents in your possession as per instructions?
    Did you return all election documents in your possession as per instructions?
    Text version

    Comments
    • Whole process took more time than anticipated
    • Amount of materials was overwhelming
    • Instructions were not clear enough to prevent mistakes when sorting and disposing of materials and documents
  2. Do you have any comments on the state of election documents received from deputy returning officers (e.g. documents that should be in sealed envelopes/bags are not loose and everything is sealed properly)?


    • Placemat with steps for closing of the polls was useful but still needs improvement
    • Having a central poll supervisor at each polling site was helpful for overall efficiency
    • Procedures are still too complex for most workers, who are not as focussed after a 14-hour day
    • Materials provided for advance polls were not adapted to the high turnout (size of poll bags)
  3. Were there any ballot boxes missing?
    Were there any ballot boxes missing?
    Text version

    Explanation
    • A ballot box was missing, but the envelope containing all the documents was brought back to the office.
    • A deputy returning officer (DRO) did not return the ballot box on polling day. Local authorities were called and the DRO returned the ballots and the material.
    • A ballot box missing at the end of polling day was recuperated the next day at the DRO's house.
    • The RO used the faxed copy of the Statement of the Vote from Taloyoak. The RO held a virtual meeting with Baker Lake poll workers to debrief on the election, and used the report and the votes counted and phoned in on election night to validate the results. There is no indication of whether the boxes were retrieved.
    • A taxi cab unknowingly pulled away with three ballot boxes in the trunk. Ballot boxes were recovered.
    • A ballot box was left at a school and thrown out inadvertently. The ballot box was in a garbage bag because the CPS and DRO ran out of white plastic bags.


    In the event that both the ballot box and the statement of the vote were missing, how did you ascertain the number of votes cast for each candidate?

    30 ROs
    Obtained the pink copy of the Statement of the Vote from DROs

    21 ROs
    Obtained the copy of the results given to the candidates' representatives on polling night

    3 ROs
    Received a copy of the candidates' Statement of the Vote instead of the official white copy

  4. Were there circumstances whereby the ballot box was accounted for however the original statement of the vote was missing?
    Were there circumstances whereby the ballot box was accounted for however the original statement of the vote was missing?
    Text version

    Note: ROs could select one or both of the options below. Therefore, the sum of responses does not match the number of ROs who answered "Yes" to the question.

    168 ROs
    Opened the ballot box and retrieved the yellow copy of the Statement of the Vote

    63 ROs
    Opened the large plastic envelope and compiled the results written on each candidate's envelope